Chapter Twenty-Six: …And Then You Die
"By long you mean?" I asked, dreading the answer.
"A little over five days, the pumps don't work as fast as her heart does and we'll have to change them out often since your venom will break them, adding more time to the change." I shook my head. No, please God, don't do this to one of your purest children. She deserves bliss, not this prolonged burning Hell. "You have to be strong, Dad, in the end she will thank you. I know it. She's your mate. Even if she wanted to hate you she couldn't. Just think about all the good times you will have once she's settled into her new life." Alice tried to comfort me, but it didn't help.
Seven hours later we arrived at one of our houses. Emmett was sitting outside on the porch, a look of worry on his face. He ran up to us when the car finally stopped.
"I set up a room for her." He said.
"Where is Edward?" I asked, suddenly remembering his thirst for her blood. My eyes shifted in all directions, ready for an attack.
"He's heading back South so he can make up an excuse on why you left." Emmett said while looking at Bella. I growled at him and he took a step backward before I could compose myself.
"Sorry, which room?" He led me to the second floor, to one of the guest rooms. There were already three CPB pumps set up beside her bed.
"I'm going to go help Jasper get more pumps." Emmett said briefly before kissing Rosalie and disappearing. Alice and Rose left me alone in the room with Bella. Why did the world have to be so cruel? First all the torture Jasper, Esme, and Rose went through, Esme leaving me so harshly, now this… Was the Lord above really so set on testing my faith?
Perhaps He is just punishing me for bringing so many monsters into the world. To end Bella's life… would it be a gift, or just another sin that will send me Hell when the flames finally consume me?
"You have to be strong." I was so intent on my thoughts that I hadn't even heard Alice come back into the room. She was carrying fresh clothing for me. I glanced down at my own attire. It was bloodstained and torn. I nodded at her mutely. She put the clothes on one of the seats before touching Bella's cheek softly then leaving.
Hours slowly passed, the girls periodically checking on us. Bella's heartbeat was erratic. I prayed to God to let her change be quick and without hindrance.
Maybe this was His way of righting the world? Of welcoming her to the pearly gates without having me sin against the other half of my soul by killing her. I wish He would just give me a sign, tell me what's right. Should I continue with this unnatural course or let her life fade away?
I squeezed my head in frustration; her screams and my own inner turmoil were shredding me apart. I could take her out of her pain with just a snap of her neck… My thoughts just kept circling, never coming to a conclusion. Of all of God's creations why does Bella have to go through this torture? Maybe I really shou- Bella's heart suddenly stopped, along with her screams.
I acted without thought, purely on instinct. There was no tool strong enough to cut through vampire flesh, even when it was still converting so I had to use my fingernails to cut through her skin. Her ribs and sternum hadn't started to change so they were easy to pull apart, opening Bella's ribcage like a book. Rose and Alice were suddenly at my side, holding the pump and helping me apply it. When we finally had it set up a few seconds later Bella started screaming again, arms and legs thrashing. Alice tried holding her still while I closed her chest, tubes sticking out. The skin healed almost instantly around the protrusions. One of her arms broke out of Alice's hold and I caught it a second before Bella could scratch at the foreign object.
Luckily Bella hadn't acquired her vamperic strength yet so we were able to strap her down with some industrial strength metal cables. Alice said that halfway through day three the cables will be too weak to withstand Bella's new strength.
I took a step backward and dry wretched. This was so wrong. It wasn't supposed to be like this, Bella tied to a bed with cables, tubes sticking out of her chest, and eyes wide as she screamed her lungs out. It looked like she was some cruel science experiment. This was all just so inhumane. I was taking her humanity in the most painful manner known, but I'm too deep in now, too committed. I can't live without her, even if it made me a monster.
Every eight hours we had to change the pump out for a new one, every eight hours I had to slice open her chest, every eight hours I had to tear her ribcage down the middle, and pull it apart. I didn't trust anyone else to do the delicate procedure accurately and I was afraid I'd attack them if I saw them hurting her, hurting her the way I was. Every time it got physically and emotionally harder as the venom took hold and strengthened her.
We all took turns in pairs holding her down so she wouldn't rip out the tubes keeping her alive, keeping my venom circulating.
I was just thankful that she wasn't coherent. If our eyes met, begging me to end her pain I don't think I could deny her.
The fifth day came around and I felt like I could barely move, my guilt was so immense, yet every time the pump stopped a jolt of electricity made me spring into action. The pumps could hardly take the corrosiveness of my venom at this point. Alice couldn't see Bella's future anymore. I attributed that, well hoped that was because Bella had a gift. If Alice's earlier vision holds true the change should be over soon.
Seven hours and three pump changes later Bella's screams suddenly stopped. Alice and Rosalie let go of her and stepped back. She was panting and her eyes were squeezed shut.
"Please no, please no more." She whispered, covering her face with her hands. I didn't know how to respond. Her hand drifted down to the tubes before she pulled them out with a single jerking motions. She rolled onto her side and into the fetal position. "Help me Daniel, Carlisle…" She dry sobbed, pressing herself into the covers of the bed. I cringed at both her words and actions.
"I'm here, Bella, it's over. You don't have to feel any more pain." I crooned, taking a step towards her. She flinched and I stopped moving.
"It burns." She whispered through her sobs.
"It's over now, Bella. Please look at me." I begged her, afraid of her reaction.
"No, my chest and stomach, they burn." I made eye contact with Alice. She shrugged, just as baffled as I was. "It feels like a white hot snake is just slithering in my stomach. Daniel, please make it stop, Carlisle, do something."
"It's just the venom Bella, it will stop soon. You just have to give it time." I said with more confidence than I was feeling.
"Venom? What-" I could tell she was struggling for words. "Just get Daniel. He'll stop the pain." Her eyes were still squeezed shut.
"I'm sorry, Bella, you were in a car accident." I sat down beside her on the bed and she flinched then relaxed slightly when I put my hand on her arm.
"Yeah, the bridge I remember, just get Dani-You were there too Carlisle." She nuzzled my hand as she spoke. "The fire is cooling." She let out a shaky sigh. "When is he going to get here? They need to know I'm okay. Tommy will be devastated when he hears what happened, but Daniel won't tell him till he knows for sure that I'm alright." She still hadn't opened her eyes. I didn't know what to say. I glanced at Alice and Rose, but their eyes were diverted, giving me no help.
"Bella, Daniel isn't coming." I said, too scared to tell her the cause.
"Wha-" Her eyes flashed open and she froze. In a quick movement she was standing with her back to the wall. "What is this place, why am I not at a hospital, why is everything in HD, who are these two women, why isn't Daniel coming?" Bella asked rapidly, slurring the questions together. Her eyes kept flicking in all directions. "Carlisle, what's going on?" I stood and tried to approach her, but it only made her shrink back more.
"I'm sorry, Bella, you were going to die. I had to do something. I couldn't lose you." I begged her to understand. "I had to change you into one of us, into a vampire."
So be honest, if you knew nothing about the vampire world and went through that torture how would you react? Would it be that different from Bella's reaction?
Btw I posted the first chapter of the accompanying piece to this story about Bella's past. It's called: A Teaspoon of Sugar Helps the Medicine Go Down. Check it out.